1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to avian enclosures and accessories to avian enclosures. More specifically, the invention is directed at an externally separate device that rotates avian enclosures or a device that is part of the whole rotating avian enclosure.
2. Description of Prior Art
One of main purposes of avian enclosures for their owners is the enjoyment of watching birds. Unfortunately, rodents consume large quantities of birdseed and/or, worst yet, destroy birdfeeders and birdhouses due to their aggressive nature. The most vulnerable feeders are the ones made out of plastic or wooden parts of which squirrels will eventually chew on and destroy. As a result, people cannot enjoy watching birds at the same time while worrying about squirrels, or other rodents, damaging and/or scaring away birds from their feeders or houses.
Many attempts have been made in the prior art to develop, either internal or external to the birdfeeder, mechanisms that try to actively protect feeders by repelling rodents. Most of these use a cruel and inhumane electrical shock on the squirrels. For example, the Boaz U.S. Pat. No. 5,191,857 patent uses a large umbrella-shaped electrical shocking squirrel guard above the feeder. However, squirrels can get around this device simply by leaping onto the feeder from a nearby tree or from the ground. Other attempts shown by the patents to Doubleday et al. U.S. Pat. No. 2,856,898, Boyd U.S. Pat. No. 5,937,788, and Collins U.S. Pat. No. 5,471,951 all incorporate the electrical-shocking device within the feeder itself. However, defense mechanisms of these types are all eventually figured-out by the squirrels who are both cunning and very determined. Over time, the squirrels train themselves where to step and where not to step in order to avoid getting shocked.
Other attempts in the prior art have tried more passive devices such as plastic baffles for deterring squirrels that are inherently designed to be very large and bulky devices. For example, patents issued to Blasbalg U.S. Pat. No. 4,327,669, Nylen U.S. Pat. No. 5,642,687, and Chester U.S. Pat. No. 4,031,856 all use some sort of large umbrella-shaped squirrel guard located either above and/or below the feeder. However, the effectiveness of these passive devices is even worse than the previously mentioned active devices since the squirrel will not only defeat the device, they will also destroy the device in the process by chewing on it repeatedly.
The present invention is a new apparatus and method directed at deterring certain kinds of animals from avian enclosures by rotating the enclosures at sufficient speeds. As used herein, avian enclosure is intended to mean birdhouses, birdfeeders, and like structures intended for use by birds. An electronic baffle is described that safely deters unwanted animals such as rodents from the enclosures which includes a support for suspending the baffle, at least one animal sensing mechanism such as an electronic circuit that detects the presence of animals, and a motor/gearbox whose shaft is a hook that suspends the avian enclosures. The electronic baffle is also capable of rotating the suspended enclosures at a very slow speed. For example, this mode of operation is used for the purpose of eliminating blind spots from a birdwatcher""s viewing area of the birds eating from the feeders.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an electro-mechanical rotating system which can be incorporated into various parts of avian enclosures in order to deter rodents, or other animals, from the enclosures by rotating the enclosures at a sufficiently fast speed.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an electro-mechanical rotating system that can be incorporated into various parts of avian enclosures in order to not scare birds from the enclosures by rotating the enclosures at a sufficiently slow speed.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an electro-mechanical rotating system that can be mounted into the ground using a pole from which the enclosures are attached.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an electro-mechanical rotating system that can be remotely-controlled using standard, off-the-shelve remote control technology incorporated into various parts of the invention.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description when viewed in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which set forth certain, but not all-encompassing, embodiments of the invention.